


A Loyal and Dutiful Son

by pixiedustandbluebutterflies



Category: Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, JA Secret Santa 2019, Memories, Reminiscing, canon compliant coda, jupiter ascending secret santa 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixiedustandbluebutterflies/pseuds/pixiedustandbluebutterflies
Summary: Following a meeting with his siblings and a less than successful attempt to find and eliminate his mother's recurrence, Balem retires to his private quarters to remember his mother and the lessons she taught him.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	A Loyal and Dutiful Son

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot was written in response to my Jupiter Ascending Secret Santa prompt: Balem's private/domestic life. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Happy Holidays, Chinchillasparkles!

The doors closed with a mechanical rasp as Balem exited his court and entered the corridor leading to his private quarters. The soft glow from the hovering sconces lit his path as his footsteps echoed off the stone of the hallway, and he welcomed the general silence.

Mr. Night had tried to quell his anger, but the door had clicked shut before he could follow. What was the point of being Entitled if you couldn’t have occasional peace? Balem knew it wasn't becoming of a primary heir to express emotions, but they had stood still - mindlessly staring at him - after he had issued direct and clear orders.

_Never let them know how they affect you,_ his mother's voice whispered in his head. _There's power in hiding your emotions from the world._

His outburst was unseemly, but he'd had enough for the day. First, there was that farce of a meeting with his siblings: had Titus really thought that he would give up such a lucrative asset for _sentimental_ reasons? Absurd. And of course Kalique was there as well - ever the buffer between them. Then he returned to his refinery only to be given frustrating news regarding the situation with the recurrence.

His chamber presence welcomed him as the door to his suite slid shut, officially closing out the rest of the world. In the privacy of his chambers, he shed his layers of Entitled armor: draped cape, tightened leather bands, weighted jewelry, and other superfluous adornments.

Titus hadn't been wrong: it was recently their mother's birthday. Coupled with the news of her recurrence, it was enough to put him on edge - and turn him inwards as thousands of years of memories surfaced.

_The universe must always see the Abrasax family as the peak of Entitled society. Power is granted by public opinion, as much as money and industry._

It was one of the first lessons she taught him as a mere child. Even then, he knew that money and industry could outweigh public opinion in the measure of power, but his mother had seemed so sure. He tried for decades to play the part - to smile, speak softly, shake hands. It became clear quickly that he was not fit to live a traditional Entitled life full of parties and social politics. So he left that life for Kalique and Titus to pursue and turned his focus on profit margin and industrial expansion.

After pausing at his wet bar, Balem made his way to the far side of his suite where a solitary chaise levitated a few inches above the floor. A crystal tumbler filled with amber liquid in hand, he laid back into the cushions, looking out through the expanse of glass at the red fog that covered the planet below.

_You're the pride of our family, my Balem. As my primary heir, it's your destiny to carry our family into the future. Your sister is intelligent, but too distracted by the material charms of Entitled society to focus on industry. And Titus... Titus is so blinded by his own charm that he doesn't understand the work that goes into running a intergalactic corporation._

So she groomed him. Kalique and Titus learned etiquette and social customs; Balem studied investments and legislation. While his younger siblings attended finishing schools, Balem was brought into strategy meetings for hostile takeovers of corporate competitors.

_Only you understand the universe like I do. Only you understand the power we wield - the power to create and destroy life._

The closeness between he and Seraphi caused a rift between him and his siblings. Kalique had always sought their mother's approval and Titus was naturally inclined toward envy. When they'd reached adulthood, the two younger Abrasax heirs moved to their own alcazars, determined to build reputations of their own using the Abrasax name and money. Balem stayed with Seraphi.

_My most loyal and dutiful son. Only you know what it takes to expand our empire - to maintain it. People will try to take this power away from you, away from us, but it's your duty to keep it._

Balem took a swig from his glass and closed his eyes against the echoes. Oh, how she had choked on her words. His head throbbed and he suddenly realized just how cold it was in the sparse and expansive suite.

His mother had been acting strange for months - possibly years. It wasn't unusual for him to find her sleeping fitfully in her office, muttering desperately. His mother had changed; Balem hadn't realized how much until he had walked in on her pouring over plans to dismantle the RegenX industry and redirect the Abrasax Corporation's assets to something more _ethical_.

Balem was taught to believe that morality had no place in business. That life was about consumption, and consumers created profit. It struck him suddenly - his beloved mother had turned herself into the very threat that she had always warned him about.

The fight that resulted from his discovery was the last one they ever had. What had started out as verbal sparring quickly escalated into a physical altercation. Her office was a battlefield in an otherwise empty building.

_"That is enough, Balem," She said, drawing her personal firearm and pointing it at him from the other side of the turned over desk. "We have to end it. I can't continue to profit off of this destruction. I can't live like this anymore. I hate this life. I hate this world. It has to end."_

_That's when he knew what he had to do. She had always told him it was his duty to protect the family, his destiny to carry them into the future._

_"Don't come any closer," Seraphi commanded, edging on hysterics as he stalked toward her._

_"You won't shoot me, mother," he responded softly._

_"This has to stop, child," she whispered. The softest he had seen her since his siblings were mere babes. He could tell her resolve was crumbling._

_"It will."_

_"Balem, please," her arm shook, tired from holding the gun steady. He stood in front of her, hands up cautiously, and she lowered it slightly. That was his opportunity, and he took it._

Through her descent into madness Seraphi had wasted away so there wasn't much of a struggle at that point. Balem was able to cover up her cause of death easily with a few well placed bribes and claims of technical difficulties.

In a fit of rage, Balem shattered his glass against the window in front of him. The sound reverberated against the stone walls, and as fast as the rage came, it was gone. He entered his bedroom, picking up a small tube filled with a lavender colored serum.

That was quite enough reminiscing for one evening. Swallowing the liquid in one shot, he felt an almost instantaneous sense of calm overcome him. He changed quickly into sleep clothes before slipping into bed and succumbing to a dreamless sleep.


End file.
